Starstruck
by Miss-Ayleigh
Summary: She is Japan's sexiest model. She's popular, famous, beautiful and... Hinatas sister. What happens when Hinata is forced to "be" Hanabi at Hanabi's old modeling school? Will Hanabi's old friends and rivals see through her disguise? SasuHina
1. Intro: Spotlight

**_Introduction_**

--

**Spotlight**

"And we will find our way there  
live like delicates  
before we go you'll know  
_the spotlight lives in all of us."_

- Breathe Carolina

--

* * *

"Like, oh my god!"

Hinata turned her head to check out what all the fuss was about. A large group of girls were crowded around the dairy's window outside, gushing over something. The Hyuuga sighed and closed the kitchen curtains. "I don't even wanna know," she thought, dryly.

"Hinata, what're you doing?"

Said girl turned from the window to see her chocolate haired, emerald-eyed best-friend staring at her curiously from the door. "Oh! Kyoumi-chan! I needed something to drink and I was just about to head back." She replied, as she put down the empty glass and walked toward the door, "G-Gomenasai!"

The other girl just smiled, "it's fine, Hinata. Should we head back?"

"H-hai."

The pair headed through the Hyuuga compound toward Hinata's bedroom. To Her surprise, however, her other friends Rikku and Sanako were not gossiping as they usually would. Today, it seemed, they were clumped on the floor, going crazy over some magazine.

"Hey guys," Hinata smiled, "w-what yah looking at?"

"Goss on like the biggest star of all time," Sanako gushed, eyes shining.

The other girl nodded excitedly as she gazed up at the Hyuuga, "Yeah, like totally," she agreed, "wanna see?"

"Biggest star?" Hinata questioned, staring at them innocently, "what do you mean?"

All of a sudden, all eyes were on her in a rather incredulous stare. Hinata looked back confused. She didn't think she said anything funny.

"You don't know?" they asked incredulously.

Hinata just shook her head.

"Oh my god!" Sanako squealed and clapped her hands together, "It's in Gloss magazine, the newest edition!"

"Ay?"

"Yah know, gloss!" Rikku flailed her arms wildly. Her cheeks were flustered as she shoved the magazine in her face. "See?"

"Gloss magazine, 50 hottest models in Asia?" Hinata read the cover aloud. Her brows furrowed slightly as she turned to face her friends, "come to think of it," she said, referring to the girls outside the dairy, "I think I saw Mika Leah looking at that…"

"Well, duh. Who _isn't_?"

"Um..." Hinata shyly adverted her gaze away from the hyper Sanako. She was about to say she hadn't when a screech came from over her shoulder.

"Oh my god!" Kyoumi exclaimed, "Hyuuga Hanabi's number one!"

CRASH.

The other three turned to see the young Hyuuga staring at them wide-eyed, the magazine at her feet. She froze instantly when she heard the name and didn't even notice Kyoumi jumping up and down.

"Sorry… my bad." Kyoumi apologized.

"S'Okay." Hinata said stiffly, shakily picking it up and handing it back to Rikku.

It didn't take long before Kyoumi could no longer contain herself, as her face lit up and she let out another squeal, "Oh my god! She's number one!" She gushed, "I can't believe she's number one!"

"Of course she's number one, she's the best!" Sanako butted in, in a matter-of-factly manner. She took the magazine from Rikku and flicked it open to where an image of Hyuuga Hanabi was, "I mean, look at her!"

2 whole pages were dedicated solely to her, whilst the others shared 3 to a sheet. On the first page, Hanabi was in a marine ball-gown. The sparkly material trailed far behind her, and she looked so damn glamorous. Her lips parted into innocence, yet her chocolate eyes held an endearing look. The devil's angel, as only she could be. Her slim fatigue and waterfall tresses enticed jealousy. Her full hips could capture any man. The picture was in dark light, yet oh-so-captivating.

She was all-round stunning.

The second page held 2 smaller pictures. In one she was draped across a sofa. She was dressed in a school uniform, eating a cupcake. The last she was in skater clothes, lips curved in a playful smirk, a skateboard propped under her arm. And above all 3 photos, read "Hyuuga Hanabi" in swirled, lilac print.

Hinata could only gape. Her sister had grown into quite the lady, since she had last remembered. She had grown so much since she started modeling. Hinata remembers feeling doubtful at that time, but Hanabi had insisted this was her dream. 3 months later, Temari, her manager, brought her abroad.

"At the age of 16, this super model from Konoha continues to top the nation as Hong Kong's leading "it" girl" Sanako read aloud, "with looks to kill, a curvy figure and spicy personality, she has men drooling at her feet. She can make anybody faint with no effort at all."

Rikku took the magazine and continued to read; "The supermodel has recently been modeling in Suna, with plans of competing in world's competition in December. The real deal! She's a mesmerizing face with even more talent. All good things wrapped into one."

"I heard she's dating Kankuro, the rock star?" Kyoumi questioned.

"Nah, they broke up. She's single now, though with more admirers than ever." Sanako answered, remembering what she heard from Star-T.V, "Lucky girl."

"That's good. They didn't look that great together," Rikku shrugged, "I think she could- Hey Hinata, is something wrong?"

The girls turned to see the young Hyuuga gazing at the floor. A click in front of her face brought Hinata back from her thoughts. "Hm?"

"You feeling alright?" Kyoumi placed a hand on her forehead, "You're really quiet."

"G-Gomenasai!" Hinata laughed nervously, waving her arms in front of her, "I'm fine, really! Just uh… I um… really need to go to the bathroom!"

Hinata swiftly stood up and ran out of the room before the others could stop her. The others looked at each other with concern, before tilting their heads.

"Does needing to "go" make you space out?" Rikku asked the other two. Kyoumi shrugged, "apparently so…"

--

* * *

--

In the bathroom, the Hyuuga wearily leant over a sink of water. The fact was, none of them knew that Hinata and Hyuuga Hanabi were sisters, only they, Hiashi and her two managers. Since they were professional at hiding it, not to mention Hanabi had left Konoha, there was really no way of anyone finding out.

--

* * *

--

**Suna.**

"Hanabi-chaaaaan!"

Said lady glanced before her to see a swarm of screaming fans jumping up and down with obvious enthusiasm. A small nod from her only encouraged them more.

"Can I get your autograph?!"

"Can I have a piece of your hair?"

"Sleep with me!"

"Can I take a picture with you!?"

Hanabi shook her head and couldn't help but chuckle as she walked. The mob of screaming girls and boys were being held back expectantly by her 4, yes 4, noble bodyguards, hand selected of course. Hanabi smiled glamorously as she signed a couple of photos. A few girls fainted, a few boys screamed but hey, that's life, they'd come 'round in a moment.

"People, people! I'd sign you all personally but I'm afraid I'm short of time!" Hanabi announced over the noise.

Blowing one last kiss, she resurrected her smile and proceeded toward her Limo. Her older, brunette secretary appeared at her side but a moment after.

"Miss, you have an appointment at the Crystal-glass Palace in exactly 62 minutes." No need for greetings, she had always known she wanted facts.

"Reschedule it." Hanabi answered.

The lady nodded and scribbled something furiously in her notebook.

"And today's request…"

"Deny."

More scribbling.

"And the meeting with Mademoiselle Laetitia…"

The superstar waved a hand halfheartedly before placing a foot through the door. She really didn't feel like dealing with this, especially not today.

"Cancel all appointments. I'm really not in the mood."

"Wakarimashita." (sp?)

The brunette bowed deeply before rushing off to make the calls. Hanabi couldn't help but sigh as she closed the door behind her. Stupid employees. She hated them all.

"Yah know, the woman's just doing her job."

Hanabi rolled her eyes and bitterly turned toward the familiar lady seated beside her. The young blonde was piled in a heap of paperwork and was rapidly succeeding in completing it. Hanabi shook her head and decided best to ignore this statement. She didn't think upper cutting her top employee was the wisest thing to do.

She cleared her throat.

"What was it you needed to tell me, Temari?"

The lady looked up and pushed her spectacles further up her nose. She placed a copy of Gloss Magazine in Hanabi's lap.

"Not bad. A year abroad and you're already number one. Good, huh?"

"Not good." Hanabi answered bluntly, "where is Kabuto?"

Kabuto originally managed Hanabi, but as she began modeling in Suna, it was soon decided that Subaku no Temari took over, as he wanted to take care of her publicity, anyway.

"In Konoha, handling publicity business, why?"

Hanabi narrowed her eyes. "He made me sound like a Barbie."

"Barbie, yes, " Temari agreed, "but one of a kind. The one everyone will fight over just for a strand of hair"

"Don't go there." Hanabi glowered, "I've had enough mental fans trying to yank out my hair, thank you very much."

Temari just chuckled causing the Hyuuga to growl.

"I'm serious!" she hissed, "And anyway, what the hell was Kabuto thinking?"

"Pardon me?"

"Announcing that I'm going to World's! Has he lost his mind?" She waved the magazine frantically about and threw it on the car floor. Making her sound fake was bad enough, but lying to the public? That was totally unacceptable. Apparently unfazed, Temari just shook her head and continued with her paper work.

"You are going to World's." she stated calmly, "in 9 months, actually"

Hanabi could only blink dumbly.

Hang on; did she just say she was?

Anger suddenly kicking in, the Hyuuga's eyes narrowed to potentially violent slits. Why didn't she tell her? Was that, or was that not, her job? With a growl in her throat, the young model had to hold back from strangling her manager. They had conversed a long talk about this a year back. Hanabi had admitted that she was nervous about entering world competition and Temari, in turn, had said she was not ready. They were planning on waiting another few years before even considering something like this; jump in when she was totally prepared. The gold would be theirs for the taking; easy like every other award she'd won. So why change now? She was about to open her mouth to argue, when the blonde handed her a folder.

"That's the contract. Kabuto and I have already agreed and signed so it is now your decision." She explained, as Hanabi scanned the contents, "we want you to compete this December."

"Why so suddenly?"

"It's a big hit." Temari stated easily, "as of late last year, World's is the most well known competition in the entire modeling industry, so, why not enter? It'll boost you up further. And besides," Temari continued, "both media and fans will go crazy."

Hanabi massaged her temples, "well… it sounds good when you put it like that… but-"

"There is one more reason." Temari pulled up her laptop and flicked to a newspaper article on the Internet, "Yamanaka Ino. I trust you are aware of her position as 2nd most desirable woman in Japan?"

The model nodded.

"She is proving to be a bigger threat than I first thought and has recently formed a relationship with Japan's most in-demand lead actor, Sasuke Uchiha, a deadly combination." Temari signaled to the photo on the laptop, "Their relationship has become quite popular within these last few months boosting up, no, sky rocketing, both his public image and hers."

Hanabi raised an eyebrow, "what are you getting at, Temari?"

"I'll be frank. You know this is a very competitive industry. You have been at the top for almost a year now, and you know how difficult it is to maintain that position. If you don't act accordingly, they are going to give your place at worlds to Ino." Temari sighed stressfully, "she's not far behind you. If that happens…" Temari left the sentence hanging.

"Fine, fine." Hanabi shrugged, "sounds reasonable enough."

"No side flings this time."

"But-"

"The media's focus should be on the competition. Not your petty, little love life." Temari snapped, "Have you forgotten the purpose?"

"Alright, alright," Hanabi rolled her eyes, "but you try say that to Kankuro."

"Kankuro? The rock star?"

Hanabi nodded.

"Wasn't he your last casual boyfriend?"

"Yep."

"I thought you two broke up?"

The model merely shrugged and Temari shot her a questioning look.

"It's complicated," she replied.

"Right. Well, when you meet him, try to keep on the down-low," Temari warned, "Your last rendezvous gave us quite the trouble."

"I'll try." Hanabi agreed. Temari nodded.

"I better be off." She said, as the car pulled to a stop, "You have a meeting with the competition manager at 12.00, ask your Secretary for details. As for now, I highly suggest dropping Kankuro a line." She paused, just before opening the door, "Oh yeah, and about the competition. You need Konoha Modeling School qualifications to enter. Have a nice day." And with that, she disappeared into the crowded street outside.

Hanabi blinked, fighting back the lump in her throat.

KMS qualifications?

She had to be kidding.

And as she allowed herself to sink in the cushioning of her luxury limo, her heartbeat unusually fast, she had but one thought in mind.

_Gomenasai, Temari, but I can't._

Picking up her new I-phone, she pressed the call button and held it to her ear. She was going to request a fill in, and she was going to need one fast.

_I'm pregnant._

"Konichiwa, Kabuto-san, I have a request."

_--_

_

* * *

--  
_

**5 days later.**

"Like, oh my gosh, no way!"

Hinata stopped writing, to see where the squeal came from. It was Mika Leah, the popular girl from school.

"Guys, you won't believe this!"

Hinata was about to continue writing when she heard what Mika was dying to say.

"Hyuuga Hanabi's coming to Japan!"

Screams immediately filled the classroom, the girls bouncing with glee.

"LIKE OH MY GOD! REALLY?"

"WHEN?"

"THAT'S LIKE TOTALLY AWSOME!"

"I know, right?" Mika exclaimed, "she's going to attend KMS here! I heard from my cousin that teaches at the school."

But the Hyuuga could not take any of it in. All that was in her head was her sister was returning… she nearly had a heart attack.

_Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring._

Hinata jumped as she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Relieved at any excuse to leave the classroom, she walked into the corridor to take the call.

"H-hello?" the Hyuuga greeted shakily.

"Hinata-san," the deep baritone voice spoke from the end of the line, "I'm Yakushi Kabuto, Hyuuga Hanabi's co-manager. I'm calling to request your assistance."

--

* * *

A/N I hope I made it obvious what I was trying to get through, (The title kinda hints toward it XD). If not, you shall see in the next/first chapter.

Anyways, please review!


	2. Chapter 1: yesterday

Hinata gazed nervously at the many turning heads that gasped and pointed to the sheen exterior of the Limo she currently found herself residing in. Butterflies had long made there way to her chest, pulling and tugging at her insides as the awkward silence prevailed. It wasn't as if she hadn't expected uneasiness within this dreaded first drive toward Konoha Modeling School, actually, over the last 12 weeks of holiday, Hinata had come to expect it.

But just how uneasy she felt… that was a different story.

The air was tense, so tense in fact that she could barely breathe. She felt as if somebody had clutched at her throat, blocking her airway with no intention of loosening up. She had tried on multiple occasions to break the ice, start a conversation that the others would gladly oblige to, each time failing pathetically. The words had caught in her throat even before they left her mouth. Frustrating, but she couldn't blame herself.

She could hear the quiet tapping of keys as the blond lady sitting beside her continued to type on her laptop. She couldn't help but notice that she was sitting as far away as physically possible from the Hyuuga, spine perfectly erect, work clothes, creaseless. She didn't mind, really, she guessed it was how Temari would treat any commoner she came in contact with, being the manager of Japan's hottest celebrity, Hinata suspected she wasn't used to meeting people like herself. Not knowing what else to do, Hinata snapped her eyes back to the window.

Kabuto had called her that morning, via cell phone, announcing that he would be at her house in precisely one hour. Hinata, being a horrible morning person, had procrastinated until she absolutely had to get up and with make-up and hair dye as her first priority, had rushed to the bathroom to clean up, a feat not do-able in under half an hour. As a result, when the man had finally shown at her front door, she had answered with Hanabi's face, half clothed in a school skirt and care-bear pajama top with a toothbrush dangling halfway out of her mouth. She supposed it would be quite the disgrace to Hanabi's name if anybody saw her then. Kabuto was not impressed, and Hinata suspected that this was partly why he hadn't looked at her all morning. Hinata let her eyes fall from the window, to the spectacled man and to the blond. Terrifyingly enough, neither of the managers seemed to be bothered by the silence and Hinata felt her stomach flip at the motion.

"I am sure Temari does not appreciate your staring, Hinata." Kabuto's voice made said girl jump in her seat. She flicked her gaze nervously to the front where 2 harsh, almost scrutinizing eyes met hers.

"G-Gomenasai, Yakushi-san, Subaku-san." She forced her eyes to meet his, thinking positive thoughts as to not to offend him by looking away, "I-it won't happen again"

Kabuto seemed to ignore her feeble attempt at an apology and Temari let out a soft sigh and for the first time that morning, seemed to snap out of her "statue" state.

"Kabuto, stop being so harsh on the poor girl." she scolded, "Can't you see she's terrified?" She momentarily paused at her keyboard to force a reassuring smile at Hinata, a smile the Hyuuga only half-heartedly returned. That smile... perfectly beautiful. Sickeningly fake.

"You need to breathe, sweetheart. We wouldn't want you to pass out before we arrive."

Hinata nodded, only half taking in what the woman had said. Yes that's right. They would be arriving soon. Only about 10 more minutes of this awkwardness before the car would stop. Would they notice if she excused herself for the bathroom, left the car and didn't come back? Surely if she ran fast enough she could get a good 500 meters down the road before they started suspecting anything. There had to be some sort of back alley she could slip into...

Wait.

Arrive.

Arrive at KMS.

Oh god. What was she thinking? Of course she couldn't run! she was Hanabi, for pete's sake. It's not like she no body would notice her absence, she was sure there would be at least a small crowd outside ready to greet her. She had no choice. She was getting closer to hell with every minute that passed. How _was _she going to handle everything? All the worries that she had been supressing over the holidays seemed to be slowly coming back to her and she suddenly recognized the familiar feeling of doubt, gurgling in her stomach. What if she screwed up? What if somebody recognized her? What if she got tounge tied? So many thoughts were running through her mind Hinata thought that her head might explode. So she couldn't run. She couldn't take the easy way out. That left but one choice for her... and it was a choice that she prefered not to think about.

Temari seemed to notice her distress for she gently closed her laptop and turned to face the petite woman, that unnerving smile still intact.

"Calm yourself." It sounded more like a demand then reassurance, "You will be fine."

Hinata wanted to shout, "How? How could she guarantee she wouldn't screw this up?" But instead, she kept her mouth shut and settled on staring at her questioningly. Temari sighed and rubbed her temples. But somehow, her expression remained perfectly controlled like it had been all morning. She opened her mouth to speak when the limo suddenly pulled to a halt. The caramel haired man in the drivers seat bowed his head respectively, at Kabuto and then to Temari and announced monotonically, "Kabuto-sama, Temari-sama, Hinata-san, forgive me for intruding on your conversation but we have arrived."

Hinata froze, suddenly forgetting about the lady beside her.

Hell was even closer than she had thought.

--

* * *

The first thing that processed through Hinata's mind as she stepped out of the car was the fact there were blinding lights. No, not lights. Cameras. The gentle clicks followed by loud roars from a crowd that Hinata was certain contained over 500 people, (the cameras were casting stars across her gaze so she couldn't be certain), was enough to make her head spin.

The second was the blatant red carpet unrolled royally under her feet to set a path that Hinata could only suppose lead to the school.

And the last was that she was expected to _walk_ up that path.

Walking had never seemed so difficult.

Hinata swallowed hard, willing her legs to move. It was then that she realized her feet seemed to be glued to the spot, with only the light shaking of her knees to tell her that they hadn't frozen up completely. A surge of shock and panic boarder on anxiety hit her all at once as she felt a sweat bead slowly inching it's way down her temple. It was real. It was really happening right here, right now. She was no longer wrapped up in her nice, warm bed dreaming a thousand possible scenarios that this day would bring, even though at the moment she wished nothing more than to be. This wasn't a dream. This was the real thing.

Her stomach let out a quiet growl as if to warn Hinata of the gigantic leap that lay just moments ahead. She felt ill. Like she needed to throw up really badly. Could you throw up from being nervous? Either way, it didn't matter cause she felt like it anyway. Her stomach was doing back flips under her light, summer blouse, running rampant and uncontrollable sending tingling sensations through her whole body and she felt the familiar sensation of her gut squirming up her throat. Of course, she knew that was ridiculous for it was completely and utterly impossible, but at the moment, her mind had forgotten about how to tell the difference between real and impossible. Her "impossible" was unfortunately being blurred in with reality.

All of a sudden, she felt a hand grip around the top of her arm. Glancing up, she saw that it belonged to Temari. To some relief, she had ditched the smile and had a serious look on her face, turning to the crowd.

"We appreciate you all coming here to welcome Miss Hyuuga to this school. However, I am afraid she has other business to attend to, so if you will excuse us."

Before she knew what was happening, Temari had begun to roughly lead Hinata forward, her grip preventing any stumbling that may have otherwise happened. Once Hinata could finally grasp even a small ability to move again, she glanced behind her to see the raving fans a good hundred meters back, behind boundaries defined by red rope, 4 large bodyguards forcing them further away from the path…obviously her guess in numbers was underestimated. Her breath hitched in her throat and she thanked the lord that she hadn't a chance to look up when she first got out of the vehicle. There had to be a good hundred people lined up...

She turned her head back to the front. Temari was walking briskly before her and apparently had gone through another emotional change, for her facade had reformed, yet again, only this time to her impassive face. Though Hinata found that look a little unnerving, she still felt a feeling of thankfulness toward the woman. In fact, she almost felt grateful enough to open her mouth to express it and she did… only to shut it immediately upon spotting her hair. Temari's hair was brushed neatly from her face, pulled into a tight, French bun that Hinata hadn't noticed before when they were in the car. The knot was perfect… simple, yet, elegant and Hinata thought that it suited the blonde woman very well. It held the grace of an older woman and for some reason; it made her feel small again. It reminded her of how different she really was next to these people… a simple "thank you" wouldn't mean much to her. Though her own locks cascaded far past her waist, Hinata didn't think they were even close to matching up. Temari's locks were ones of a true lady's… and Hinata's?

Hers was the hair of a porcelain doll.

Hinata touched a stray strand that had made its way over her shoulder. She had spent a good half hour that morning, let along running about 10 different hair products through it the night before in order to gain this effect. It glimmered in the light every time she rolled it between her thumb and index finger, catching far more than it's fair share of sunlight…

Perfect.

Shiny.

_Just like plastic_, Hinata thought sadly as she brushed it back over her shoulder.

How was she ever going to become like them?

She decided that a "thank you" was irrelevant and settled on keeping her mouth shut.

--

* * *

Pushing fourth gigantic glass doors, Hinata almost felt a feeling of relief as she scoped the main entry room. It looked just as a normal school's would. No fans. No cameras. No freaky red carpet that Hinata thought should only ever be used by royalty. No, only wood, the odd paintings and ugly wallpaper was visible. But it was okay. She could deal with ugly. It was silent too, another nice change, apart from the soft melody playing in the background that Hinata vaguely recalled as Gounod's Ave Maria. However, judging by the pair of large armed men hidden not-so-discreetly beside the entrance, Hinata suspected it was kept this peaceful on purpose.

Walking cautiously into the room, Hinata made her way to the main desk where a spectacled man was waiting for her.

"Hello Hyuuga-san. Welcome to Konoha Modeling school, we are so pleased to have you back."

Okay… maybe not so normal. That much honey in 2 sentences had to be illegal. Hinata forced on a smile.

"H-hai. K-Konichiwa." Out of habit she bowed. Temari cleared her throat making Hinata snap straight back up, eyes wide.

Celebrities never bowed.

Surprisingly, Temari simply laughed lightly. "Polite, isn't she?" she waved it off, turning toward the man who had given Hinata a weird look. He looked her up suspiciously, it was brief but noticeable, but was quick to join in with the laughter.

"Yes, right," the honey tone was still intact, "such exceptional manners for somebody of your status."

"We do try." Temari answered modestly and all of a sudden, her eyes gained a fiery glint, "and judging by the way in which you address us, sir, so do you."

The man smiled, a beaming smile that could have made anybody blind. The glint in his eyes joined that with Temari's and Hinata couldn't help but notice that he held himself a little higher as he spoke, "our school takes pride in our hospitality, madam."

Temari nodded, an understanding look resting across her features. She replied easily.

"We could expect nothing better, seeing as you were partly responsible for today's biggest star."

The man's grin grew, a blush forming on his cheeks and Hinata had the feeling that her mistake was long forgotten. Hinata kept her mouth shut, unsure of anything to say. Honestly, she found the fluffiness was not helping her nausea but stayed silent all the same.

"I suspect her luggage has already been delivered?" Temari asked, after a moment of comfortable silence. The man nodded.

"Of course."

"And the location?"

"I had already requested earlier today for it to be sent straight to her room." A new voice said, closer to Hinata's ear.

Hinata stiffened upon feeling another presence behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she matched both voice and presence to Kabuto. Kabuto however, was too busy staring at the man expectantly to spare her a glance.

The man coughed awkwardly and stood from his seat with a smile.

"Well, Hyuuga-san." He turned toward said woman, "I suppose I should show you to your room. That is, if you would like to be shown it now? Otherwise our pool tables, private tennis courts, café, movie theatre and health spas are all free for your enjoyment. What is it you wish to do?"

Hinata blinked. Really, he had lost her at the mention of private tennis courts.

"Please escort us to her room." Temari answered for her and the man nodded without another word. He turned on his heel, shuffled around in the top drawer for a while before locating a key and starting to head down the corridor. Hinata glanced at the blonde who in turn shot her a sharp look as she made her way after him. The glint from her eyes was gone, replaced by a stern look that made Hinata recoil and advert her attention to Kabuto, as some form of escape. She immediately regretted it, however, as Kabuto didn't look at her at all. A feeling of guilt hit her and she found herself looking at the floor. The disappointment had not gone unnoticed by her.

"G-Gomenasai." She whispered under her breath, but was doubtful that either had heard her.

--

* * *

"Is there a problem?"

Hinata snapped her head up from the chest of drawers. She had just put the last of her clothes away and had turned to find Kabuto sitting stiffly on the bed, his gaze boring into hers. Though it didn't show on his face and his voice was soft, calm even, the heat in that look was unmistakable making Hinata flick her eyes, once again, to the floor.

"P-pardon me?" she asked quietly, almost afraid of what her words would bring.

"Do you have a problem with this?"

Hinata flinched at the abrupt firmness in his voice, she didn't need to ask what "this" meant, "W-why would y-you think that?"

"Well I can only assume you have a problem, if you are playing up like you did today. You put Temari under quite the pressure."

Hinata stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue. She could tell he wanted to say more and didn't know what to say to that, even if he didn't. She kept her eyes on her too-high-heels and Kabuto opened his mouth to speak again.

"I saw you when you left the limo. You froze. Didn't say anything, didn't even look up. It was a good thing Temari was standing in front of you, judging by the look on the fans faces, they didn't really notice."

Hinata suddenly felt a stab in her gut and she recognized the feeling as being guilt. She had let them down. She hadn't met expectations.

"I walked into the building a little while after," he continued, "after sorting to business, paying the driver and all that. Temari was using _flattery. _Temari does not use flattery. What on earth happened?" his voice was harsh and Hinata flinched again. She heard the soft rumble of boiling water from the kitchen next door and seriously wished Kabuto had been the one in the kitchen and Temari had been the one to talk to her instead of vise-versa. Kabuto's voice was scary to her ears. She bit her lip, carefully deciding what to say. Lying would be a foolish idea but she didn't particularly want to see him once she told him the truth.

"Um…"

"I don't believe that is any of your business." Came a voice from behind her. Both Hinata and Kabuto turned to see Temari walking through the door, 2 cups of tea at hand. She handed one to Kabuto and sat herself beside him. Her gaze was cold when it fell on Hinata, however, and the Hyuuga felt her stomach squirm.

"On the other hand," Temari continued, "Kabuto is right in asking if anything was wrong. Your actions were rather… "Un-Hanabi-like" if you must."

Hinata wanted to apologize, she really did, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat. She knew the managers didn't mean it in a mean way- at least, she thought they didn't- but she couldn't help the twang of hurt in her chest. She had tried, tried to act appropriately, tried to be somebody she wasn't but for some reason it didn't work. Her hysteria seemed to have gotten the best of her. To her horror, she felt tears gathering at the back of her eyes.

Temari shook her head and sighed wearily, "there's no need to cry." She pulled out a hanker chief from her handbag and passed it to Hinata, "but we need to know what's wrong with you. You can't just break into hysterics at anytime and expect everything to be fine."

Hinata took the hanker chief and wiped her eyes. She didn't know whether it was from frustration, disappointment, guilt or offense but the tears kept coming.

Nibbling on her lower lip, Hinata could feel both sets of eyes on her, waiting on her expectantly. She knew she had to answer them but a part of her didn't want to tell them.

"A-ano… I…" she swallowed and dove right in before she had a chance to chicken out, "I am t-terrified of crowds!"

Kabuto and Temari blinked.

Hinata watched as their expressions changed from impatient, to shock, to disbelief and finally settled on concern. Hinata could have sworn that was the most emotion they have ever shown in their _life_. It started to make her worry. Kabuto was the first to speak.

"Now that," he stated, his tone ice-cold, "is a problem."

Hinata felt her heart sink.

--

* * *

Large, green eyes, peered curiously from behind a neon sign, the bold, flashing letters making them half blind. A beautiful blonde and handsome man emerged from a door to the left and began to make their way down the corridor in the opposite direction. The figure's lips curled upward into a smile as they disappeared around the corner.

It's now or never.

Sneaking out from behind the sign, the figure adjusted its tie as it made it's way to door. The perfect opportunity had finally presented itself, no way were they going to miss this. Taking in a deep breath, the person raised their arm and rapped firmly on the oak.

--

* * *

"I-I'm sorry, I can't do it, I'm scared… if I die in there, how will I cope without you?"

A brunette lady sobbed, tears streaming her face. Her hand dropped from the tangle of her boyfriend's duck-like hair only to be caught by a hand so fair, it could rival snow. His onyx eyes captured hers. They were deep but surprisingly gentle.

"Lena." His voice was silky, "you are not going to die."

"B-but… H-how do you know?"

A smirk crossed his lips. "Hn. We are one. Your pain is my pain. Your heart is my heart. Your soul is my soul. Do you really think I'd die so easily?"

Lena glared at his smart remark. It was sweet in it's own way but that still didn't excuse his arrogance. Nevertheless, she soon found herself smiling.

"Oh, Sa-"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Hinata squeaked as she missed the last few lines in the Japanese soap opera. It was oddly addicting, even though she barely knew what was going on. She had just flicked on the T.V. and, although she usually didn't watch this sort of thing, this one was actually quite good. Cuddling into the sofa, Hinata decided it was best to ignore the door.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Reluctantly, the Hyuuga tore her gaze from the screen to look at the clock on the wall. 7.30am. She still had a good half hour before she had to leave for her first class. Who would be visiting at this time of hour? The immediate thought that came to her mind was the managers. After finishing their conversation prior to this, they had left barely 5 minutes ago and may have left something behind or forgot to inform her on something important. But that was quickly erased as she remembered exactly whom she was talking about. Temari was organized. So does Kabuto. They wouldn't do something as foolish as to leave something behind.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Hinata started to panic as she slowly stood from the couch. What if it was a stalker? Madman? Burglar? Do burglars tend to rob innocent celebrity's (ahem)dorm rooms in broad daylight? Hinata bit her lip. But what if it wasn't a burglar and she was just over-reacting? It could very well be Temari or Kabuto returning because they really did forget something. How rude would it be if she ignored their knocks? Convincing herself it had to be the latter; (burglars, madmen and stalkers seemed a bit out of reach) Hinata made her way to the door and pulled it open.

You can imagine the surprise she got when she was tackled quite roughly to the floor.


	3. Temari and Kabuto

Hinata gazed nervously at the many turning heads that gasped and pointed to the sheen exterior of the Limo she currently found herself residing in. Butterflies had long made there way to her chest, pulling and tugging at her insides as the awkward silence prevailed. It wasn't as if she hadn't expected uneasiness within this dreaded first drive toward Konoha Modeling School, actually, over the last 12 weeks of holiday, Hinata had come to expect it.

But just how uneasy she felt… that was a different story.

The air was tense, so tense in fact that she could barely breathe. She felt as if somebody had clutched at her throat, blocking her airway with no intention of loosening up. She had tried on multiple occasions to break the ice, start a conversation that the others would gladly oblige to, each time failing pathetically. The words had caught in her throat even before they left her mouth. Frustrating, but she couldn't blame herself.

She could hear the quiet tapping of keys as the blond lady sitting beside her continued to type on her laptop. She couldn't help but notice that she was sitting as far away as physically possible from the Hyuuga, spine perfectly erect, work clothes, creaseless. She didn't mind, really, she guessed it was how Temari would treat any commoner she came in contact with, being the manager of Japan's hottest celebrity, Hinata suspected she wasn't used to meeting people like herself. Not knowing what else to do, Hinata snapped her eyes back to the window.

Kabuto had called her that morning, via cell phone, announcing that he would be at her house in precisely one hour. Hinata, being a horrible morning person, had procrastinated until she absolutely had to get up and with make-up and hair dye as her first priority, had rushed to the bathroom to clean up, a feat not do-able in under half an hour. As a result, when the man had finally shown at her front door, she had answered with Hanabi's face, half clothed in a school skirt and care-bear pajama top with a toothbrush dangling halfway out of her mouth. She supposed it would be quite the disgrace to Hanabi's name if anybody saw her then. Kabuto was not impressed, and Hinata suspected that this was partly why he hadn't looked at her all morning. Hinata let her eyes fall from the window, to the spectacled man and to the blond. Terrifyingly enough, neither of the managers seemed to be bothered by the silence and Hinata felt her stomach flip at the motion.

"I am sure Temari does not appreciate your staring, Hinata." Kabuto's voice made said girl jump in her seat. She flicked her gaze nervously to the front where 2 harsh, almost scrutinizing eyes met hers.

"G-Gomenasai, Yakushi-san, Subaku-san." She forced her eyes to meet his, thinking positive thoughts as to not to offend him by looking away, "I-it won't happen again"

Kabuto seemed to ignore her feeble attempt at an apology and Temari let out a soft sigh and for the first time that morning, seemed to snap out of her "statue" state.

"Kabuto, stop being so harsh on the poor girl." she scolded, "Can't you see she's terrified?" She momentarily paused at her keyboard to force a reassuring smile at Hinata, a smile the Hyuuga only half-heartedly returned. That smile... perfectly beautiful. Sickeningly fake.

"You need to breathe, sweetheart. We wouldn't want you to pass out before we arrive."

Hinata nodded, only half taking in what the woman had said. Yes that's right. They would be arriving soon. Only about 10 more minutes of this awkwardness before the car would stop. Would they notice if she excused herself for the bathroom, left the car and didn't come back? Surely if she ran fast enough she could get a good 500 meters down the road before they started suspecting anything. There had to be some sort of back alley she could slip into...

Wait.

Arrive.

Arrive at KMS.

Oh god. What was she thinking? Of course she couldn't run! she was Hanabi, for pete's sake. It's not like she no body would notice her absence, she was sure there would be at least a small crowd outside ready to greet her. She had no choice. She was getting closer to hell with every minute that passed. How _was _she going to handle everything? All the worries that she had been supressing over the holidays seemed to be slowly coming back to her and she suddenly recognized the familiar feeling of doubt, gurgling in her stomach. What if she screwed up? What if somebody recognized her? What if she got tounge tied? So many thoughts were running through her mind Hinata thought that her head might explode. So she couldn't run. She couldn't take the easy way out. That left but one choice for her... and it was a choice that she prefered not to think about.

Temari seemed to notice her distress for she gently closed her laptop and turned to face the petite woman, that unnerving smile still intact.

"Calm yourself." It sounded more like a demand then reassurance, "You will be fine."

Hinata wanted to shout, "How? How could she guarantee she wouldn't screw this up?" But instead, she kept her mouth shut and settled on staring at her questioningly. Temari sighed and rubbed her temples. But somehow, her expression remained perfectly controlled like it had been all morning. She opened her mouth to speak when the limo suddenly pulled to a halt. The caramel haired man in the drivers seat bowed his head respectively, at Kabuto and then to Temari and announced monotonically, "Kabuto-sama, Temari-sama, Hinata-san, forgive me for intruding on your conversation but we have arrived."

Hinata froze, suddenly forgetting about the lady beside her.

Hell was even closer than she had thought.

--

* * *

The first thing that processed through Hinata's mind as she stepped out of the car was the fact there were blinding lights. No, not lights. Cameras. The gentle clicks followed by loud roars from a crowd that Hinata was certain contained over 500 people, (the cameras were casting stars across her gaze so she couldn't be certain), was enough to make her head spin.

The second was the blatant red carpet unrolled royally under her feet to set a path that Hinata could only suppose lead to the school.

And the last was that she was expected to _walk_ up that path.

Walking had never seemed so difficult.

Hinata swallowed hard, willing her legs to move. It was then that she realized her feet seemed to be glued to the spot, with only the light shaking of her knees to tell her that they hadn't frozen up completely. A surge of shock and panic boarder on anxiety hit her all at once as she felt a sweat bead slowly inching it's way down her temple. It was real. It was really happening right here, right now. She was no longer wrapped up in her nice, warm bed dreaming a thousand possible scenarios that this day would bring, even though at the moment she wished nothing more than to be. This wasn't a dream. This was the real thing.

Her stomach let out a quiet growl as if to warn Hinata of the gigantic leap that lay just moments ahead. She felt ill. Like she needed to throw up really badly. Could you throw up from being nervous? Either way, it didn't matter cause she felt like it anyway. Her stomach was doing back flips under her light, summer blouse, running rampant and uncontrollable sending tingling sensations through her whole body and she felt the familiar sensation of her gut squirming up her throat. Of course, she knew that was ridiculous for it was completely and utterly impossible, but at the moment, her mind had forgotten about how to tell the difference between real and impossible. Her "impossible" was unfortunately being blurred in with reality.

All of a sudden, she felt a hand grip around the top of her arm. Glancing up, she saw that it belonged to Temari. To some relief, she had ditched the smile and had a serious look on her face, turning to the crowd.

"We appreciate you all coming here to welcome Miss Hyuuga to this school. However, I am afraid she has other business to attend to, so if you will excuse us."

Before she knew what was happening, Temari had begun to roughly lead Hinata forward, her grip preventing any stumbling that may have otherwise happened. Once Hinata could finally grasp even a small ability to move again, she glanced behind her to see the raving fans a good hundred meters back, behind boundaries defined by red rope, 4 large bodyguards forcing them further away from the path…obviously her guess in numbers was underestimated. Her breath hitched in her throat and she thanked the lord that she hadn't a chance to look up when she first got out of the vehicle. There had to be a good hundred people lined up...

She turned her head back to the front. Temari was walking briskly before her and apparently had gone through another emotional change, for her facade had reformed, yet again, only this time to her impassive face. Though Hinata found that look a little unnerving, she still felt a feeling of thankfulness toward the woman. In fact, she almost felt grateful enough to open her mouth to express it and she did… only to shut it immediately upon spotting her hair. Temari's hair was brushed neatly from her face, pulled into a tight, French bun that Hinata hadn't noticed before when they were in the car. The knot was perfect… simple, yet, elegant and Hinata thought that it suited the blonde woman very well. It held the grace of an older woman and for some reason; it made her feel small again. It reminded her of how different she really was next to these people… a simple "thank you" wouldn't mean much to her. Though her own locks cascaded far past her waist, Hinata didn't think they were even close to matching up. Temari's locks were ones of a true lady's… and Hinata's?

Hers was the hair of a porcelain doll.

Hinata touched a stray strand that had made its way over her shoulder. She had spent a good half hour that morning, let along running about 10 different hair products through it the night before in order to gain this effect. It glimmered in the light every time she rolled it between her thumb and index finger, catching far more than it's fair share of sunlight…

Perfect.

Shiny.

_Just like plastic_, Hinata thought sadly as she brushed it back over her shoulder.

How was she ever going to become like them?

She decided that a "thank you" was irrelevant and settled on keeping her mouth shut.

--

* * *

Pushing fourth gigantic glass doors, Hinata almost felt a feeling of relief as she scoped the main entry room. It looked just as a normal school's would. No fans. No cameras. No freaky red carpet that Hinata thought should only ever be used by royalty. No, only wood, the odd paintings and ugly wallpaper was visible. But it was okay. She could deal with ugly. It was silent too, another nice change, apart from the soft melody playing in the background that Hinata vaguely recalled as Gounod's Ave Maria. However, judging by the pair of large armed men hidden not-so-discreetly beside the entrance, Hinata suspected it was kept this peaceful on purpose.

Walking cautiously into the room, Hinata made her way to the main desk where a spectacled man was waiting for her.

"Hello Hyuuga-san. Welcome to Konoha Modeling school, we are so pleased to have you back."

Okay… maybe not so normal. That much honey in 2 sentences had to be illegal. Hinata forced on a smile.

"H-hai. K-Konichiwa." Out of habit she bowed. Temari cleared her throat making Hinata snap straight back up, eyes wide.

Celebrities never bowed.

Surprisingly, Temari simply laughed lightly. "Polite, isn't she?" she waved it off, turning toward the man who had given Hinata a weird look. He looked her up suspiciously, it was brief but noticeable, but was quick to join in with the laughter.

"Yes, right," the honey tone was still intact, "such exceptional manners for somebody of your status."

"We do try." Temari answered modestly and all of a sudden, her eyes gained a fiery glint, "and judging by the way in which you address us, sir, so do you."

The man smiled, a beaming smile that could have made anybody blind. The glint in his eyes joined that with Temari's and Hinata couldn't help but notice that he held himself a little higher as he spoke, "our school takes pride in our hospitality, madam."

Temari nodded, an understanding look resting across her features. She replied easily.

"We could expect nothing better, seeing as you were partly responsible for today's biggest star."

The man's grin grew, a blush forming on his cheeks and Hinata had the feeling that her mistake was long forgotten. Hinata kept her mouth shut, unsure of anything to say. Honestly, she found the fluffiness was not helping her nausea but stayed silent all the same.

"I suspect her luggage has already been delivered?" Temari asked, after a moment of comfortable silence. The man nodded.

"Of course."

"And the location?"

"I had already requested earlier today for it to be sent straight to her room." A new voice said, closer to Hinata's ear.

Hinata stiffened upon feeling another presence behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she matched both voice and presence to Kabuto. Kabuto however, was too busy staring at the man expectantly to spare her a glance.

The man coughed awkwardly and stood from his seat with a smile.

"Well, Hyuuga-san." He turned toward said woman, "I suppose I should show you to your room. That is, if you would like to be shown it now? Otherwise our pool tables, private tennis courts, café, movie theatre and health spas are all free for your enjoyment. What is it you wish to do?"

Hinata blinked. Really, he had lost her at the mention of private tennis courts.

"Please escort us to her room." Temari answered for her and the man nodded without another word. He turned on his heel, shuffled around in the top drawer for a while before locating a key and starting to head down the corridor. Hinata glanced at the blonde who in turn shot her a sharp look as she made her way after him. The glint from her eyes was gone, replaced by a stern look that made Hinata recoil and advert her attention to Kabuto, as some form of escape. She immediately regretted it, however, as Kabuto didn't look at her at all. A feeling of guilt hit her and she found herself looking at the floor. The disappointment had not gone unnoticed by her.

"G-Gomenasai." She whispered under her breath, but was doubtful that either had heard her.

--

* * *

"Is there a problem?"

Hinata snapped her head up from the chest of drawers. She had just put the last of her clothes away and had turned to find Kabuto sitting stiffly on the bed, his gaze boring into hers. Though it didn't show on his face and his voice was soft, calm even, the heat in that look was unmistakable making Hinata flick her eyes, once again, to the floor.

"P-pardon me?" she asked quietly, almost afraid of what her words would bring.

"Do you have a problem with this?"

Hinata flinched at the abrupt firmness in his voice, she didn't need to ask what "this" meant, "W-why would y-you think that?"

"Well I can only assume you have a problem, if you are playing up like you did today. You put Temari under quite the pressure."

Hinata stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue. She could tell he wanted to say more and didn't know what to say to that, even if he didn't. She kept her eyes on her too-high-heels and Kabuto opened his mouth to speak again.

"I saw you when you left the limo. You froze. Didn't say anything, didn't even look up. It was a good thing Temari was standing in front of you, judging by the look on the fans faces, they didn't really notice."

Hinata suddenly felt a stab in her gut and she recognized the feeling as being guilt. She had let them down. She hadn't met expectations.

"I walked into the building a little while after," he continued, "after sorting to business, paying the driver and all that. Temari was using _flattery. _Temari does not use flattery. What on earth happened?" his voice was harsh and Hinata flinched again. She heard the soft rumble of boiling water from the kitchen next door and seriously wished Kabuto had been the one in the kitchen and Temari had been the one to talk to her instead of vise-versa. Kabuto's voice was scary to her ears. She bit her lip, carefully deciding what to say. Lying would be a foolish idea but she didn't particularly want to see him once she told him the truth.

"Um…"

"I don't believe that is any of your business." Came a voice from behind her. Both Hinata and Kabuto turned to see Temari walking through the door, 2 cups of tea at hand. She handed one to Kabuto and sat herself beside him. Her gaze was cold when it fell on Hinata, however, and the Hyuuga felt her stomach squirm.

"On the other hand," Temari continued, "Kabuto is right in asking if anything was wrong. Your actions were rather… "Un-Hanabi-like" if you must."

Hinata wanted to apologize, she really did, but the words seemed to be stuck in her throat. She knew the managers didn't mean it in a mean way- at least, she thought they didn't- but she couldn't help the twang of hurt in her chest. She had tried, tried to act appropriately, tried to be somebody she wasn't but for some reason it didn't work. Her hysteria seemed to have gotten the best of her. To her horror, she felt tears gathering at the back of her eyes.

Temari shook her head and sighed wearily, "there's no need to cry." She pulled out a hanker chief from her handbag and passed it to Hinata, "but we need to know what's wrong with you. You can't just break into hysterics at anytime and expect everything to be fine."

Hinata took the hanker chief and wiped her eyes. She didn't know whether it was from frustration, disappointment, guilt or offense but the tears kept coming.

Nibbling on her lower lip, Hinata could feel both sets of eyes on her, waiting on her expectantly. She knew she had to answer them but a part of her didn't want to tell them.

"A-ano… I…" she swallowed and dove right in before she had a chance to chicken out, "I am t-terrified of crowds!"

Kabuto and Temari blinked.

Hinata watched as their expressions changed from impatient, to shock, to disbelief and finally settled on concern. Hinata could have sworn that was the most emotion they have ever shown in their _life_. It started to make her worry. Kabuto was the first to speak.

"Now that," he stated, his tone ice-cold, "is a problem."

Hinata felt her heart sink.

--

* * *

Large, green eyes, peered curiously from behind a neon sign, the bold, flashing letters making them half blind. A beautiful blonde and handsome man emerged from a door to the left and began to make their way down the corridor in the opposite direction. The figure's lips curled upward into a smile as they disappeared around the corner.

It's now or never.

Sneaking out from behind the sign, the figure adjusted its tie as it made it's way to door. The perfect opportunity had finally presented itself, no way were they going to miss this. Taking in a deep breath, the person raised their arm and rapped firmly on the oak.

--

* * *

"I-I'm sorry, I can't do it, I'm scared… if I die in there, how will I cope without you?"

A brunette lady sobbed, tears streaming her face. Her hand dropped from the tangle of her boyfriend's duck-like hair only to be caught by a hand so fair, it could rival snow. His onyx eyes captured hers. They were deep but surprisingly gentle.

"Lena." His voice was silky, "you are not going to die."

"B-but… H-how do you know?"

A smirk crossed his lips. "Hn. We are one. Your pain is my pain. Your heart is my heart. Your soul is my soul. Do you really think I'd die so easily?"

Lena glared at his smart remark. It was sweet in it's own way but that still didn't excuse his arrogance. Nevertheless, she soon found herself smiling.

"Oh, Sa-"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Hinata squeaked as she missed the last few lines in the Japanese soap opera. It was oddly addicting, even though she barely knew what was going on. She had just flicked on the T.V. and, although she usually didn't watch this sort of thing, this one was actually quite good. Cuddling into the sofa, Hinata decided it was best to ignore the door.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Reluctantly, the Hyuuga tore her gaze from the screen to look at the clock on the wall. 7.30am. She still had a good half hour before she had to leave for her first class. Who would be visiting at this time of hour? The immediate thought that came to her mind was the managers. After finishing their conversation prior to this, they had left barely 5 minutes ago and may have left something behind or forgot to inform her on something important. But that was quickly erased as she remembered exactly whom she was talking about. Temari was organized. So does Kabuto. They wouldn't do something as foolish as to leave something behind.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Hinata started to panic as she slowly stood from the couch. What if it was a stalker? Madman? Burglar? Do burglars tend to rob innocent celebrity's (ahem)dorm rooms in broad daylight? Hinata bit her lip. But what if it wasn't a burglar and she was just over-reacting? It could very well be Temari or Kabuto returning because they really did forget something. How rude would it be if she ignored their knocks? Convincing herself it had to be the latter; (burglars, madmen and stalkers seemed a bit out of reach) Hinata made her way to the door and pulled it open.

You can imagine the surprise she got when she was tackled quite roughly to the floor.


	4. AN

Okay, sorry guys I haven't been on for so long but i've done something totally stupid. I accidentally deleted chapter 2 of starstruck (...sigh....) so i'm going to have to re-write it so this story's going to be off for a little while.

again, sorry!

x Ayleigh x


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